Weeding Issues and Ideas
You can't entirely prevent weeds without poisoning everything else in the area, so the best alternative is making them easy to pull. The easiest step you can take there is to reduce soil compaction. Till the garden well before planting, walk on the soil as little as possible, think about laying down straw around plantings as a cushion, and add humus to loosen the soil so that what weeds do grow pull straight out without your having to grit your teeth or pull any muscles. A raised bed with sidewalls also gives you someplace comfortable to sit while doing all of your gardening work.
EARLY WEEDING
If you're aggressive against weeds early in the summer when invasive plants are establishing themselves, you should succeed in limiting the problem throughout the rest of the year. In fact, some studies show that over-weeding can be detrimental to your garden. For the most part, your plants only need a few weeks head start on the weeds trying to compete with them. Once they're head and shoulders above the rest, let your own aesthetic preferences dictate how much weeding need be done (keeping in mind that your garden still requires proper airflow to be its healthiest).
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/03/2009: Dj from Pdx, Or writes: "My grandma is 89 years old and still lives in her own home and loves her gardens. Last year she had to dig up her back yard so my mom took advantage of the situation and laid down ground cloth in all the flowerbeds. She made sure to get a really good quality cloth from a nursery and not the cheep plastic from the store. (It's been worth the extra price) She planted a few shrubs that grow up and not out and got a bunch of wonderful pots for flowers.
Now when the ground cloth is full of leaves or dirt all grandma has to do is sweep or vacuum the cloth off. Yes vacuum - a shop vac works great.
The ground cloth has been a win, win for everyone. Grandma gets to keep her flowers and has virtually no maintenance. Mom doesn't have to find the extra time to go her mothers every couple of weeks to take care of weeding. And in the spring she takes her vacuum down and cleans it all up so everything is ready for the new season.
Yes, in the winter especially you can see the cloth, but if you put a brick border on the top in front it helps draw the eye away from the cloth. You can also cover the cloth with large river rock or again brick. With those items you can still vacuum up the guck and not suck up anything you shouldn't."
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